Help:User groups

This page gives an overview of user permissions on the Doom Wiki. For the complete list of MediaWiki database settings, see Special:ListGroupRights. Administrators can view the status of a single user at Special:UserRights.

Most of the lists of names below are not updated automatically. If you need the most current data, see Special:ListUsers.

Anonymous (IP) editors
Anyone can read or edit a page; that's the whole point.

Logged-in users
Creating an account allows you to upload images, customize the site interface, and avoid most "area effect" blocks (such as page protection or rangeblocking).

Editors
Users with this status can mark pages as "checked", meaning that all edits since the last check have been constructive (see Help:Page validation). In addition, their own edits are automatically approved, and they can view a list of pages that have never been checked.

Participants in the server migration were given Editor rights. Currently, new Editors are created at the discretion of administrators. The autopromotion feature of the associated MediaWiki extension is also enabled; its criteria include 60 days since account creation, no blocks, and at least 200 approved edits out of 300.

Users with editor permission:

Bots
use external scripts or apps to perform high-speed edits. Identifying an account in this way gives it features useful for such edits, e.g. enhanced API transactions.

The bot flag is a position of trust, due to the inherent difficulty of double-checking mass edits (which many users will not even see, as they are omitted by default from recent changes and other logs). Bot operators are expected to build safeguards into their code, work with other editors to resolve any issues, and follow on-site wherever it exists.

Currently this practice is still experimental on the Doom Wiki. Flags are assigned at bureaucrat discretion, and there are no written policies specific to bots.

Users with bot permission:

Administrators
Administrators are users with some special abilities. Most of the time this should go largely unnoticed, since everyone can be involved in editing pages, and even in reorganizing the entire site. The extra functions are intended to help moderate disputes and clean up large messes (such as robo-spam or inaccurate system messages).

Among other things, admins can:


 * Delete pages
 * View and undelete deleted pages (unless they predate the fork)
 * Protect and unprotect pages
 * Edit protected pages
 * Block users

 Active administrators 
 * Fraggle
 * Gez
 * Jdowland (alternate non-admin account Jmtd)
 * Quasar (bot account QueryBot)
 * Ryan W (alternate non-admin accounts listed here)
 * TheGreenHerring

 Inactive administrators  (fewer than 5 edits in the last year)
 * Bloodshedder
 * Cyb
 * Fredrik
 * Janizdreg
 * radius
 * Sarge Baldy
 * Schneelocke
 * TheDarkArchon
 * Who is like God?

If you need administrator assistance, e.g. to undo a page move or stop a persistent vandal, feel free to ask any of the above (preferably active) users. In an emergency, try to find one on IRC. Bloodshedder, Quasar and TheGreenHerring are usually on #zdoom, Janizdreg on #chocolate-doom and there are typically several on #doomwiki.

Currently the only way to become an administrator is to ask a bureaucrat (see below).

Bureaucrats
These are "root" or "superuser" persons, able to change the permissions on other accounts. Configuring a database installation requires one active bureaucrat, but the Doom Wiki has much less paperwork than Wikipedia, so (hopefully) one is enough.

 Bureaucrats on the Doom Wiki 
 * Fredrik
 * SpiderMastermind (account created during the migration to MancuNET; can be used by Quasar or Manc)

The SpiderMastermind account also has CheckUser permission (associates usernames with their IPs), and permission (hides individual page revisions or logged actions, even from other administrators). These are invoked only in emergencies, when the site or community members may be at immediate risk. Our privacy policy includes a few example scenarios, but due to their rarity, there is currently no formal policy specific to these actions.